EDITORIAL COMMENT.

Progress, Volume VII, Issue 4, 1 February 1912, Page 977

EDITORIAL COMMENT.

The wireless station at the top of Mount Tinakori, nearly 1000 feet above the sea, is approaching completion. When work begins there, it is expected that all the difficulty experienced now in communicating with vessels within a certain radius of the coasts, will be obviated, as the messages will not be impeded by the surrounding hills. Messages to Australia, Fiji, and many of the islands will be a matter of course. At present, in fact, the apparatus used on the Post Office tower enables the operators to talk to Fiji, 1700 miles off, with ease, as also with vessels between that group and New Caledonia. The new station is the highest wireless installation in the world. It consists of a suitable house built of blue stone quarried within a dozen yards of the site, standing about midway between two poles of 150 feet each. These carry an arrangement of four wires looking like a gigantic harp a hundred yards long. The harp receives the wandering messages and transmits them to the operator in the house by a single wire with a musical twang which is unmistakeable, and takes no denial. This is the “singing spark” of the wireless systems—a sharp, high note in the Tele-

funken system and a gruff, insistent sort of bark in the Marconi. The method of “tuning” is claimed to be such as to guarantee the secrecy of all messages. In this connection we may remark that nothing has been heard of late of the wonderful system of the Norwegian captain, described in these pages some months ago as probably -the coming system of the world—that by which messages despatched in cypher are delivered at the proper office only in ordinary language. We may hasard the guess that something must have gone wrong with the invention, for otherwise the world would be filled with examples and no other would be used. The masts carrying the harp on the Tinakori hill are of Oregon Pine, that timber being selected by reason of its long grain, wherein it is superior to Kauri, and therefore tougher for resisting the tremendous blasts that devastate this mountain top at times. A station is to be built shortly at Macquarie Island, for the purpose of assuring communication with any explorers in the Antarctic who may be at work in those regions at any time, and also for meteorological purposes. We observe with satisfaction that the Telegraph Department has ordered fifteen wireless private installations in Christchurch to dismantle under pain of the law. How they were ever allowed to start is one of those mysteries which ought to be investigated. Here the State has established for perfectly good and valid reasons a State monopoly of telegraph services, and the first rule of such monopoly necessarily must be the prevention of telegraphic work by all private individuals whatsoever. We may suppose that these being enthusiasts, and the science of wireless being in backward way, they were allowed to, enter the forbidden sphere in the hope of getting some public benefit from their work. In that case, however inadvisable, the permission was inexcusable, as the sequel has proved. The Department having established the practice of wireless on a commercial basis, it was suddenly discovered that some of these improperly authorised persons have been tapping the messages. In fact, the steed has been stolen, and the Department orders the door to be shut. We trust it will never be opened again. For the cause of wireless would otherwise be lost irretrievably. One has only to recapitulate the circumstances. The one point of doubt regarding wireless is its liability

to what in writing would be called being overlooked. All inventors declare that they have discovered a system which is tap able, hut that all other systems are not to be depended on for a single minute. Hence the general belief in the almost impossibility of preserving the secrecy of messages is very great. There is quite enough to confirm doubts without the addition of a horde of irresponsible people feeling all over the air for anything they can pick up. These Christchurch men have given the cause of wireless a blow from which nothing can relieve it but the summary stoppage of their wireless apparatus. This having been done, it is possible that the public will be more ready to take advantage of wireless. Necessarily, however, the implication must remain from this successful unauthorised tapping, that ‘be system is not by any means perfect. The public mind will not be completely at rest about wireless until the “tuning” process has been brought to such perfection that it is utterly impossible for any message to find its way anywhere else than its right destination. The fact has been emphasised by the deplorable error of the Department in permitting these ill-starred private adventures. * * * We are told by the paradoxical special correspondents that everybody expected Mr. Balfour’s resignation of the leadership of the Conservative party, and that, nevertheless, everybody was exceedingly surprised when it was announced. The fact, of course, is that there was no room for surprise because nothing could exceed the plainness of the language addressed by the Conservative organs and writers in the press to Mr. Balfour, unless it be its vigour. In every variety of polite hint and strained courtesy Mr. Balfour has been told during the last few months that he was totally unfit for the leadership, and seven times a week, and a little oftener, he was informed that his presence had caused all the disasters of the past, and was keeping the party from unity, as well as depriving it of all hope of success in the future. To pretend surprise after all that is one of the impostures of the situation. There may be surprise, because Mr. Austin Chamberlain has not taken the lead, as there will be disappointment at the leadership of Mr. Bonar-Law. But if there is not surprise at the non-appearance in the van of Mr. Chamberlain it is because the predominant feeling is resentment on the

part of men who have been playing for that contingency for many months past. The truth is that the situation was too strong for any of the Conservative leaders. There was not one of them strong enough to rule alone, as is incumbent on every leader worthy of the name. The party fixes the principles and chooses the leader, who must be left free to carry them out as he pleases. The great leaders of history always have so acted. ’When leaders act on advice which does not tally with their own temperament they must fail. The more contradictory the advice on which they act the sooner their downfall. The only matter for surprise is that Mr. Balfour, who changed his uncongenial line of tactics several times in obedience to contrary advice from his friends and supporters, should have lasted as long as he did. For him personally there can be no blame, because the crisis was one of those which are inevitable turning points in great histories, brought about by the explosion of great forces long repressed, under an artificial system. The system broke down with its administrators, and the old leader disappeared. That he did not do so sooner is, we repeat, the only matter of surprise. The announcement that a new theatre is to be designed at Wanganui by a wellknown architect for a local syndicate once more draws attention to the question of a national theatre. The question is not new, for the building of Municipal theatres has raised at often in the Dominion, for example at Invercargill and other places. The Municipal theatre is a step towards the national theatre, but it leaves a long way still to go. The Town Hall of Wellington, for example, is in some respects a municipal theatre. It takes the money for theatrical and other representations. A national theatre however, not only takes the money but likewise calls the tune. The ultimate object is to have plays represented composed by a national dramatic school and performed by actors trained locally. It seems a big order. But it may be contended that the materials exist among us for the accomplishment of orders that in this connection are not small. The proof lies in the success of the literary and musical competitions which have been held recently. These have displayed the existence of much talent among the young people of the Dominion, as also splendid vocal material. Of course the best has been but a small percentage of the whole. But the amount is enough to be encouraging for the project of a national theatre in the very best sense of the term. Another thing has been revealed, namely, the willingness of the public of several centres to support these exhibitions of talent. From which it may be implied readily enough that this feeling will be extended as the project develops. Why should not the talent for instrumentation which is so conspicuous not be trained so as to give us in all the centres a regular presentment of the best orchestral works and some very delightful chamber music? Why should not the voices so abundant among us be trained to regular performance of concert and operatic music? Why should not the dramatic capacity so large in individuals receive a stage for its displays regularly? The idea wants but a little organisation. The public

would respond, and, being delighted, would cultivate high standards, and these would be set from time to time by the advent of star performers and good companies such as have made good dramatic history in the Dominion and established already a good tradition. We have here a power in the “Triad” which, though much criticised in certain quarters, has achieved a high reputation for severity of criticism and knowledge of dramatic and lyric history. The fact that a critic of such severity is tolerated at all speaks volumes for the improvement the public taste has undergone during the last few decades. New Zealand has been for a small country exceptionally well served by talents of great, indeed, first-class reputation, and the taste of the audiences tells, as every artist testifies, of the appreciation with which good art is received. Of course we shall be told that Rome was not built in a day. But the proposal is not to build anything in a day, but rather to set the pace and the standard of building towards a definite object which can, after many days, be accomplished. The Dominion has bred its own lawyers, doctors, divines, engineers, politicians, municipal workers, navigators, miners, metallurgists, horse breeders and trainers, jockeys, experts in every department almost of life. Of them all it is said with perfect truth that they conform to the highest standards. Engineers who read of the great viaducts of the Northern Trunk and the Midland, are astonished, especially when they learn that the designing was done by local men, locally trained most of them. When our lawyers go to the Privy Council, it is to earn the applause of the great men in London. Our legislation has led the world in many respects. In short, our whole life as a nation self-centred and self-developed is acknowledged everywhere to be a thing to be proud of. There is no reason why our achievements in musical, dramatic and literary art should not give as good account of our resourceful and most gifted race. All that is wanted is unity of purpose, high design, modest detail, and right guidance. Moreover, let us remember that no nation that confines its attention to utilitarianism, which is only another name for money grubbing, ever developes into true greatness. It is perfectly natural that the farmer should be anxious for a complete systematic forecasting of the weather, which is such a supreme factor in his life’s work. At the same time it is only right to point out that the forecasting of the weather is done admirably well in this Dominion. In fact, when one comes to think of the difficulties in the way and the small means at the disposal of the Weather Department of the Government service, the only feeling proper to the case is one of astonishment. The Rev. Mr. Bates has just come back from a semi-holiday trip to Australiaone of those combinations of business with pleasure which result in undiluted business day after day, with 'a fine account of what is done on the continent in this connection. Indeed, when he tells of the large number of men employed in the weather forecasting, it is impossible to avoid the feeling that he must in his secret heart be a little envious of the

superior treatment accorded by the larger country. All the more impossible is it by reason of the great success with which his predictions are almost invariably followed. It must, therefore, have been astonishing to him to receive a request from a branch of the Farmers’ Union to furnish some more systematic and prompt forecast of the weather. It really looked as it the man who drafted that resolution wanted to pass a vote of censure on the weather department. Now we know that the only censures are jocular passed by holiday folk who, wanting fine 'weather, are angry with the clerk of the weather when it rains, and pretend to extend the feeling to Mr. Bates because he is known to have said, “I told you so.” Almost as bad would it have been for the skippers of the coastal craft and others to have sent a similar proposal to Mr. Bates. That gentleman in the communication he had to make to the Union hit the nail on the head when he complained of the credit given to the makers of almanacs who live on lucky guesses. The Union, however, on reflection, quite understood the position and very sensibly came to the conclusion not to pass the resolution. The time will come when the forecasting business will improve. For example, there is the spread of wireless which ought to vastly increase the amount of information at the command of the patient investigators of the department, and there is the growing public opinion in favour of the department, earned by the success of its well-directed industry, which will make increased expenditure popular with a people who feel they can rely by sea and land on their forecasts. But though a better time is coming, it must be borne in mind that the present is a good time indeed. The farmers in council have so borne in mind and they deserve commendation. * * * The speciality for this issue, yachting, has many votaries in this sea-girt land of ours. The spirit of our fathers-makes us turn to the salt water to a far greater degree than any other nation, for deeply implanted in an Englishman’s breast is the love of the sea and the ships that sail her broad blue expanse. The traditions of a thousand years of voyaging and discovery, trading and sea fighting, make our people regard the old ocean as peculiarly our own, and naturally any pastime connected with seafaring is bound to be popular. Upon the sea is our strength as a fighting nation, and it behoves us to do all in our power to assist the Navy in the maintenance of our place in the world. We hope that the proposal to form a Yachtsman’s Naval Reserve, which is being considered at Home, will be carried out, and that we New Zealanders will be allowed to form our branch here. The idea is for motor-boat owners to register themselves and their craft for patrol duties in the vicinity of the ports to which they belong, and thus to free the regular scout vessels for other work of wider range. A certain amount of drill and practice would be required, and would no doubt be cheerfully given. The idea is an excellent one, as the small swift motor craft, equipped with a small wireless plant, would fulfil the ideal of a scout, that of seeing all without being seen.